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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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http://on.rt.com/hfpnzm
UN panel slams US for police brutality, torture
Published time: November 29, 2014 01:34
A UN report has condemned the United States for violating the terms of an international anti-torture treaty. The panel took Washington to task for police brutality, military interrogations, and capital punishment protocols.
Released by the UN Committee Against Torture, the report took issue with the excessive use of force by law enforcement and accused the US police force of racial profiling. The report was released on Friday, just days after the contentious decision of a Missouri grand jury not to indict a white officer accused of shooting Michael Brown, an unarmed black teen. The decision triggered a wave of protests nationwide.
Follow RT’s LIVE UPDATES on Ferguson solidarity protests
The UN watchdog expressed “deep concern at the frequent and recurrent police shootings or fatal pursuits of unarmed black individuals.” Though the report did not specifically mention the events in Ferguson, Mike Brown’s parents met with the committee to discuss their son’s case in Geneva earlier this month.
The 10-person panel, which periodically reviews the records of the 156 countries which ratified the Convention Against Torture – a non-binding international human rights treaty – cited mounting concerns over “racial profiling by police and immigration offices and growing militarization of policing activities.”
“We recommend that all instances of police brutality and excessive use of force by law enforcement officers are investigated promptly, effectively and impartially by an independent mechanism,” said panel member Alessio Bruni at a news conference in Geneva.
This image reviewed by the US military shot through a one way mirror shows guards moving a detainee from his cell in Cell Block A of the "Camp Six" detention facility of the Joint Detention Group at the US Naval Station in Guantanamo Bay (AFP Photo)
This image reviewed by the US military shot through a one way mirror shows guards moving a detainee from his cell in Cell Block A of the "Camp Six" detention facility of the Joint Detention Group at the US Naval Station in Guantanamo Bay (AFP Photo)
US activists welcomed the findings as a call to action for the federal government.
“This report - along with the voices of Americans protesting around the country this week - is a wake-up call for police who think they can act with impunity,” said Jamil Dakwar of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), as quoted by Reuters.
Urging for tougher laws to define and ban torture, the committee called on Washington to reevaluate the treatment of detainees at the infamous Guantanamo Bay detention facility, which currently houses 148 prisoners. The report accused the US of sustaining a “draconian system of secrecy surrounding high-value detainees that keeps their torture claims out of the public domain.”
READ MORE: ‘We crossed the line’: US mea culpa at UN panel on use of torture
In addition, the committee criticized the recent spate of botched executions, which resulted in “excruciating pain and prolonged suffering” for inmates in US prisons.
“There are numerous areas in which certain things should be changed for the United States to comply fully with the convention,” said Bruni.
Last edited by untanglingwebs on Tue Dec 02, 2014 8:30 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Fri Nov 28, 2014 11:42 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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http://rt.com/usa/205031-us-admits-torture-un/
We crossed the line’: US mea culpa at UN panel on use of torture
Published time: November 13, 2014 09:29
Edited time: November 13, 2014 10:38
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A legal adviser to the US has conceded that her country has “crossed the line” since the September 11 attacks, assuring that Washington takes responsibility for its deeds.
“In the wake of the 9/11 attacks, we [the US] regrettably did not always live up to our own values, including those reflected in the [UN] Convention [Against Torture],” Mary McLeod, US acting legal adviser from the Department of State, told the Committee Against Torture, a UN body that aims to prevent torture and inhuman treatment around the world.
“As President Obama has acknowledged, we crossed the line and we take responsibility for that,” she said.
Ten independent experts from the UN anti-torture body gathered to ‘grill’ some 30 senior US officials, including McLeod, in Geneva, Switzerland, for the first time since 2006. The committee discussed issues dealing with torture at CIA ‘black sites’, Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba and detention of illegal immigrants.
"There's sort of a common denominator about all of our questions, and that is implementation of transparency and accountability," Jens Modvig, one of the panel's investigators, told AFP.
A day before the panel, the committee gathered evidence from anti-torture activists, death penalty experts, Murat Kurnaz, a former Guantanamo detainee, and the parents of Michael Brown, a black teenage boy from Ferguson, Missouri, who was shot in August by a white police officer.
Kurnaz, who was held at Guantanamo Bay for five years before being released without charges, said that148 prisoners still remain at the notorious prison.
"I cannot believe that Guantanamo is still open… Just being at Guantanamo is torture," he told AFP, adding that many of the remaining detainees "are as innocent as I am.”
The parents of Michael Brown, met the members of the UN anti-torture body behind closed doors on Tuesday.
READ MORE: Ferguson grand jury decision: Gun sales spike, Missouri Gov vows strong response to protests
"We came here to the UN to get justice for our son," Michael Brown Sr. told reporters.
During the Committee panel McLeod claimed that “the US is proud of its record as a leader in respecting, promoting, and defending human rights and the rule of law, both at home and around the world.”
A US naval medic explains the feeding chair at the US Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba on August 7, 2013. (AFP Photo/Chantal Valery)
A US naval medic explains the feeding chair at the US Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba on August 7, 2013. (AFP Photo/Chantal Valery)
According to McLeod, Washington follows the Executive Order on Lawful Interrogations, which states that “any individual detained in armed conflict by the United States or within a facility owned, operated, or controlled by the United States, in all circumstances, must be treated humanely and must not be tortured or subjected to cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment.”
But Laura Pitter, representing Human Rights Watch said HRW is still concerned that the US was still limiting the applicability of Convention against Torture.
"It should apply wherever the US has effective control, not merely where it has governmental authority," she told AFP, adding that the move "does little to allay concerns that the US is looking for wiggle room in terms of how it applies its treaty obligations."
Bush admin accused of ‘enhanced interrogation techniques’
Several delegates of the Committee said that some abuses in torture took place during the ‘War on Terror’ (WOT), also known as the ‘Global War on Terrorism’ (GWOT). First used by US President George W. Bush, the term applied to the international military campaign launched after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
According to the UN body, Bush authorized the use of "enhanced interrogation techniques" like waterboarding.
"We have cleaned up those policies," a US official, told APFP on condition of anonymity, adding that most of the criticism since 2009 centered on ensuring accountability for past abuses.
In the meantime, according to Jamil Dakwar from American Civil Liberties Union said that “six years into the Obama administration, [it] has not provided full accountability for torture and abuse in US custody, especially in CIA detention,"
“The legacy of this administration could foster immunity and impunity for torture and abuse, both at home and abroad," he said. |
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Fri Nov 28, 2014 11:47 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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U.N. torture watchdog urges U.S. crackdown on police brutality
By Stephanie Nebehay
GENEVA Fri Nov 28, 2014 12:02pm EST
Protesters march to LAPD headquarters during the National Day of Protest to Stop Police Brutality in Los Angeles, California October 22, 2014. REUTERS-Lucy Nicholson
1 of 2. Activists hold hands during a silent protest at a hearing of the United States at the Committee against Torture at the United Nations in Geneva November 13, 2014.
Credit: Reuters/Denis Balibouse
(Reuters) - The U.N. Committee against Torture urged the United States on Friday to fully investigate and prosecute police brutality and shootings of unarmed black youth and ensure that taser weapons are used sparingly.
The panel's first review of the U.S. record on preventing torture since 2006 followed racially-tinged unrest in cities across the country this week sparked by a Ferguson, Missouri grand jury's decision not to charge a white police officer for the fatal shooting of an unarmed black teenager.
The committee decried "excruciating pain and prolonged suffering" for prisoners during "botched executions" as well as frequent rapes of inmates, shackling of pregnant women in some prisons and extensive use of solitary confinement.
Its findings cited deep concern about "numerous reports" of police brutality and excessive use of force against people from minority groups, immigrants, homosexuals and racial profiling.
The panel referred to the "frequent and recurrent police shootings or fatal pursuits of unarmed black individuals."
"We recommend that all instances of police brutality and excessive use of force by law enforcement officers are investigated promptly, effectively and impartially by an independent mechanism," said panel member Alessio Bruni, noting "reported current police violence in Chicago especially against African-Americans and Latino young people".
The U.S. delegation reported that 20 investigations had been opened since 2009 into systematic police abuses and that more than 330 police officers had been prosecuted for brutality.
"We have certain concerns about whether investigations are thoroughly completed and whether punishment of law enforcement (officers) when they have crossed the line are effectively put in place," committee member Jens Modvig told reporters.
Activists welcomed the findings and called for reforms.
"This report – along with the voices of Americans protesting around the country this week – is a wake-up call for police who think they can act with impunity," said Jamil Dakwar of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), who attended the review.
The U.N. panel called for ending U.S. custody of migrants including children in "prison-like detention facilities".
It criticized what it called a continued U.S. failure to fully investigate allegations of torture and ill-treatment of terrorism suspects held in U.S. custody abroad, "evidenced by the limited number of criminal prosecutions and convictions".
Some 148 inmates are held at the U.S. Guantanamo base in Cuba amid reports, the committee's report said, of "a draconian system of secrecy surrounding high-value detainees that keeps their torture claims out of the public domain".
(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Tom Heneghan) |
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Fri Nov 28, 2014 11:57 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Sat Nov 29, 2014 12:01 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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http://countercurrentnews.com/2014/12/u-n-watchdog-group-says-u-s-police-must-be-stopped/
U.N. ‘Torture Watchdog’ Group Says U.S. Police Brutality Must Be Stopped
December 2, 2014 9:44 pm·
un_protest
Citizens demanding police accountability held hands as part of a silent protest during a hearing of the United States at the Committee against Torture at the United Nations in Geneva on November 13th.
The U.N. Committee against Torture urged the United States concluded that the international body should fully investigate and prosecute police brutality in the United States, including but not limited to shootings of unarmed African American youth, who are statistically more likely to come under police fire, even while unarmed.
The panel’s decision is the very first review of the U.S. use of torture against American citizens since 2006. The committee said that U.S. cops cause “excruciating pain and prolonged suffering” for prisoners and suspects, and engaged in what they termed “botched executions.”
The international body also noted frequent rapes of inmates, shackling of pregnant women and the extensive use of solitary confinement in violation of international law.
They continued that there are “frequent and recurrent police shootings or fatal pursuits of unarmed black individuals.”
“We recommend that all instances of police brutality and excessive use of force by law enforcement officers are investigated promptly, effectively and impartially by an independent mechanism,” panel member Alessio Bruni explained, commenting further that “reported current police violence in Chicago especially against African-Americans and Latino young people”.
Committee member Jens Modvig added that, “we have certain concerns about whether investigations are thoroughly completed and whether punishment of law enforcement (officers) when they have crossed the line are effectively put in place.”
The watchdog panel also called for ending “prison-like detention facilities” for undocumented immigrant children, as well as “a draconian system of secrecy surrounding high-value detainees that keeps their torture claims out of the public domain”.
With international news this big, isn’t it odd that American mainstream media isn’t talking more about it?
(Article by Zeidy David and Jackson Marciana) |
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Tue Dec 02, 2014 8:28 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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http://www.rappler.com/world/regions/us-canada/76438-un-us-police-shootings
UN watchdog slams police shootings of blacks in US
(UPDATED) The UN Committee Against Torture urges Washington to ensure that all cases of police brutality and excessive use of force are 'investigated promptly, effectively and impartially'
Nina Larson, Agence France-Presse
Published 11:34 PM, Nov 28, 2014
Updated 8:52 AM, Nov 29, 2014
JUSTICE. Protestors march shouting slogans and carrying signs through neighborhoods in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, 23 November 2014. File photo by Tannen Maury/EPAJUSTICE. Protestors march shouting slogans and carrying signs through neighborhoods in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, 23 November 2014. File photo by Tannen Maury/EPA
GENEVA, Switzerland (UPDATED) – A UN watchdog on Friday, November 28 slammed police shootings of blacks in the United States, days after a decision not to prosecute a white officer who shot and killed an unarmed black teen sparked nationwide protests..
With tensions still running high after the November 24 decision by a Missouri grand jury not to charge a white policeman who shot dead 18-year-old Michael Brown on August 9, the UN Committee Against Torture published conclusions from its review earlier this month of the US record.
Brown's parents had been present at the hearing on November 12 and 13 in Geneva to discuss their son's case with the committee members.
"The committee is concerned about numerous reports of police brutality and excessive use of force by law enforcement officials, in particular against persons belonging to certain racial and ethnic groups," the 10-member committee said in its report.
It also lamented "racial profiling by police and immigration offices and growing militarization of policing activities."
Alessio Bruni, one of the top investigators on the committee, told reporters in Geneva the members had voiced "deep concern at the frequent and recurring police shootings in fatal pursuit of unarmed black individuals."
The committee, which periodically reviews the records of the 156 countries that have ratified the Convention Against Torture, lamented that the large delegation of high-level US officials who came to Geneva to defend the US record had provided little data on police brutality and investigations into such abuses.
It urged Washington to ensure that all cases of police brutality and excessive use of force are "investigated promptly, effectively and impartially", that perpetrators be brought to justice and that victims receive effective remedies.
"We have certain concerns about whether investigations are ... thoroughly completed and whether punishment of law-enforcement when they have crossed the line are effectively put in place," said another of the panel's top investigators, Jens Modvig.
Too many taser deaths
The committee also highlighted excessive use of taser guns by police, an issue that had prompted protests at the hearing earlier this month.
It said it was "concerned about numerous, consistent reports that police have used electrical discharge weapons against unarmed individuals who resist arrest or fail to comply immediately with commands, suspects fleeing minor crime scenes or even minors."
Taser guns are weapons that deliver electric shocks and are popular with authorities because they are supposed to be nonlethal, but activists say the devices have caused more than 500 deaths in the United States.
The US delegation had assured the committee that they have put in place guidelines for the use of tasers aimed at avoiding accidents, but Bruni told Agence France-Presse "apparently this is not enough."
The committee urged Washington to ensure that police use tasers "exclusively in extreme and limited situations, where there is a real and immediate threat to life or risk of serious injury."
It also called for a ban on using the weapons on minors and pregnant women.
"There are far too many accidents," Bruni said.
After its first review of the United States since 2006 and the first since President Barack Obama came to power, the committee also raised a range of issues ranging from torture at CIA "black sites", to continued detention at the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, prisoner abuse, and detention of illegal immigrants.
The committee hailed efforts to end a range of past abuses during the so-called "War on Terror" under the previous administration of George W. Bush, including a clear ban on so-called "enhanced interrogation techniques" like waterboarding.
But it urged Washington to close Guantanamo, and voiced concern over "the ongoing failure to fully investigate allegations of torture and ill-treatment of suspects held in US custody abroad."
"There have been investigations, but very few have ended in guilty verdicts," Bruni pointed out. – Rappler.com
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Tue Dec 02, 2014 8:44 pm |
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